'Click It or Ticket,' Law Enforcement Warns

TAMPA BAY, FL — Tampa Bay area residents will want to make extra sure to buckle up before they hit the road. The statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign has officially kicked off.

Between May 23 and June 5, the Florida Highway Patrol and a number of county and city law enforcement agencies plan to pull over motorists who fail to buckle up.

“Individuals should buckle up because there is often no second chance,” the Florida Highway Patrol announced in a media release about its participation in the national campaign. “Buckling up is critical in order to avoid unnecessary injuries and death.”

Seatbelt violation ticket costs vary by county, but motorists can expect to pay just over $100 in most Tampa Bay area counties. In Hillsborough County, for example, the cost is $103. In Manatee, not buckling up costs $116, according to the highway patrol. Failing to restrain a child in a proper car seat costs even more. In Pasco County, that ticket will cost a driver $164. In Pinellas, a child restraint violation costs $166.

Preliminary statewide data from 2015 shows that 43 percent of people killed in automobile accidents that year failed to buckle up, the patrol noted.

“FHP reminds everyone that Florida law requires the use of seat belts by drivers, passengers in the front seat and all children under the age of 18 in a motor vehicle,” the agency’s email said.

A countywide breakdown of unbelted fatalities in the Tampa Bay area for 2015 is as follows:

• Hillsborough County – 42 unbelted fatalities
• Pasco County – 11 unbelted fatalities
• Pinellas County – 13 unbelted fatalities
• Manatee County – 11 unbelted fatalities
• Polk County – 7 unbelted fatalities
• Sarasota County – 8 unbelted fatalities

The data is preliminary, the highway patrol noted. Statewide, 1,539 people died in traffic fatalities in 2015, the report showed. A total of 666 people were not wearing proper restraints.

To find out more about the Click It or Ticket It campaign, visit Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles online.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol